


Welcome to Star Sanses Studios!

by ShandyCandy278



Series: Star Sanses Studios AU [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Animator!Error, At the Stroke of Midnight, Bad Blood, Banter, Character in Coma, Co-Producer/Recruiter!Core Frisk, Concept Designer!Ink, Director/Producer!Blue, Doctor!Sci, Editor!Cross, Haphephobia, Hugs, Ink's sorry, Intern!Pale, Intern!Template, Mentioned Abuse, Mentioned Character Death, Other, SSS AU, Special Effects Animator!Epic, Star Sanses Studios- Alternate Universe, Tags May Change, Trust, Voice Actor!Edge, Writer!Dream, doctor!geno, free - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-19
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-02-13 10:54:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21493138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShandyCandy278/pseuds/ShandyCandy278
Summary: Gift to Ly_the_Creator, who created the AU concept that I instantly got sucked into.Wanting to start up their own Animation Studio and build their way up to the top, Blue, Ink, Dream, and Core Frisk work together to bring their dreams to life and grow their team. Ink, the concept designer, and Error, their local animator, constantly fight over character design- much to Core's dismay. Dream, their writer, had doubts about himself. Epic, the special effects animator, convinces Cross to leave Nightmare's Studio and now works as Dream's editor.What could possibly go wrong? :'D
Relationships: Cream- Relationship, Errink- Relationship, SciFell- Relationship
Series: Star Sanses Studios AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1580083
Comments: 42
Kudos: 144





	1. Welcome to Star Sanses Studios!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ly_the_creator](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ly_the_creator/gifts).

> The SSS AU is absolutely AWESOME! I found it while scrolling through Tumblr and instantly got sucked into the dynamic. I already uploaded this first chapter on there, but now I can't stop thinking about it and will most likely continue to work on this.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy the story!

“ _ ‘This is going to be so cool!’ _ He said,” Error grumbled as he typed code into the program on his computer. “ _ ‘You’re going to love everyone’ _ He said,” He looked over at the wall behind his computer where a picture of the character he was supposed to be animating was. “Well, you know what?!” He slammed his hands against the table. “I’ve had enough of this!” 

Grabbing the character design, he walked out of his spare bedroom in his apartment, walked out of his apartment, went up the stairs of the apartment complex, and knocked furiously against the third door on the right.

“Hello?” Multi-colored eyes that changed shapes blinked up at him, his smile growing. “Oh! Hi, Error! Blue and Dream aren’t here at the moment- do you need anything?”

“What I need-” He hissed, shoving the picture of the character that Ink had designed in the stupid idiot’s face. “Is for you to make this-” He sharply gestured to the picture. _ “Simpler.” _

“Simpler?” Ink asked, confused. “What do you mean?”

“Do they really need to have seven different layers?”

“Of course they do!”

_ “Why?!” _

“Because that makes it look better!” Ink huffed, folding his arms. “Not to mention that it perfectly represents their personality. I’m not just going to go and change up a whole character’s looks just because you ask me to.”

“... You do realize that I have to  _ animate _ this crap, right?” Error asked, his eye twitching. “I’m not even halfway through the test animation and it’s already far more of a pain than it should be!”

“Well-”

“Are you two seriously fighting again?”

“Core!” Ink grinned as both he and Error looked out into the hallway, where the monochromatic human stood, a few bags of groceries in their hands as they stood outside of their own apartment.

“What is it over this time?” They asked, tilting their head curiously. “Another character?”

“Jake does not need  _ seven layers _ !” He exclaimed.

“He does too!” Ink argued back.

“Does not!”

“Does too!”

“You two are both children.” Core sighed, placing their hand on their face while shaking their head. “I work with  _ children _ .”

“gUYS!” Error just barely moved out of the way as Blue flew from the stairs and almost ran into him, papers in hand and blue eyelights shining stars. “We got it!”

“Got what?” Ink asked, effectively distracted from his argument with Error. Error growled, his hands shaking in anger as he tried his best not to strangle his friend’s friend.

“You’ll see!” Blue giggled happily, jumping from foot to foot in his excitement. “Core, can you-”

“Drive? Yeah, yeah, just let me put these away.”

“Great!” Blue stuffed the papers into his pocket, looking past Ink and into their apartment. “Where’s Dream?”

“He’s working with Cross over at his and Epic’s apartment.” Ink answered, still confused. “Do you want me to call them?”

“YES! We need all of them there!”

“Ugh, fine.” Error sighed to himself as Blue and Ink continued to talk. “But we’re not done talking about this.”

* * *

“So, what do you think should happen after Jake and Hailey finally meet?” Cross asked as he finished typing a sentence, hitting the period button with a final ‘clack’.

“Uh…” Dream hummed, thinking. He had an idea for what he wanted to happen, but did other people want that? What if they didn't like it? He fiddled with the drawstrings on his jacket absently, lost in thought. What would their viewers want? 

“I-”

“If what you’re about to say isn’t the thing that I know you were first thinking about then I don’t want to hear it.” Cross interrupted with a mildly frustrated look on his face. “All of your ideas are good. I want to hear the first thing you thought of when I asked you that.”

Well, now Dream was stuck. He hesitated, looking over at Cross when the other gently placed a hand on Dream’s shoulder.

“Even if we need to revise it, that’s okay.” He told Dream. “That’s what I’m here for. To help you with writing this. So tell me what your first idea was.”

The fact that Cross was actually aware of whenever Dream was second-guessing himself still surprised him, but it made sense. He had used to work for Nightmare after all.

“I don’t want them to know that they’re meeting the other person at first.” He admitted, tapping his finger against the table. “He askes if he can sit with her while he’s waiting for someone, and she says yes. They wait there for a bit, and they start getting to know each other. Then he finally says something and she realizes that it’s him and it makes her die a little inside from happiness because he’s even sweeter in person, and…” Dream paused, realizing that he had gotten a bit  _ too _ into that explanation. A golden blush erupted on his cheeks, and he ducked his head. “Sorry…”

“No, it’s okay.” Cross smiled a little. “I really like that idea.”

“You do?”

“Yeah.” He nodded. “We should write it down and brainstorm some more later.”

Dream smiled and nodded, his heart doing a little flip in his chest. He was glad that Epic had convinced Cross to come and join them, even if they weren’t as well known as Nightmare’s studio was. Yet, anyway- Blue had big plans.

Speaking of his friends…

Dream reached over for his phone, clicking the answer button and writing a little more as he spoke. “Hey, Ink. What’s-”

_ “DREAM OMYGOSH YOU HAVE TO COME NOW!” _

“Blue?!” Dream winced, holding the phone away from his head. Cross shot him a look, and he shrugged. “What’s going on?”

_ “WE GOT IT!” _

_“I’m gonna be honest here-”_ Ink took over, and he could hear Blue continue to shout happily. _“I have no idea what’s going on either, but Core seems to understand. They’re driving us over, and we were hoping you, Cross, and Epic could meet us there?”_

“What’s going on?” Cross asked.

“They want the three of us to meet them somewhere.” Dream admitted. “Where are we going?”

_ “Still have no clue-” _

_“But I’ll text you the directions!”_ Blue said excitedly. Dream could hear Ink shout out a ‘hey’, and could guess with 86% certainty that Blue had stolen the phone from him.

“I’m free for the rest of the day.” Cross admitted. “I’ll drive.”

“Sorry, dudes, but I have ta go to work.” Epic sighed. “Working two jobs ain’t as cool as it sounds.”

“Don’t worry about it, Epic.” Cross smiled and fist-bumped his best friend. “Still up for Epic Movie Night?”

“Heck yeah!”

“We’ll meet you there.” Dream said into the phone, smiling. “See you!”

_ “Bye!” _

* * *

“I still don’t get what all of the fuss is about.” Error grumbled, sinking low into the seat he was in as they drove through the city. “Why do we all have to go?”

“Because it’s a surprise!” Blue said from the front passenger seat. The reminder of their current seating arrangement made him glitch and curl in on himself a little more. He grumbled something under his breath, turning to look out his window and away from the ink-stain.

How Blue had managed to convince him to join this team was up for grabs. Error didn't even know. Maybe he felt guilty for being his old bully. Maybe it was because Nightmare had started getting angrier as the days went on. Maybe it was because life at Nightmare’s studio had gotten predictable, and he had wanted a change of pace.

Whatever the reason actually was, he didn't really care.

He was the first person out of the car when they finally parked, pulling up his hood and walking up onto the sidewalk. Cross and Dream were already waiting for them, and once everyone was out of the car, Blue spread his arms wide with a smug, excited little smile on his face.

“Welcome, to Star Sanses Studios!” He said, the pride in his voice making them all smile a little- including Error and Cross. “Also known as our official place of work!”

“This is what you meant!” Dream gasped, his eyes turning into stars. “You got us our own studio!”

“Yup!” Blue giggled, reaching into his pocket and pulling out some keys. “Who wants the tour?”

“ME!” Ink yelled, bouncing forward. He tried to snatch the keys, but Blue evaded him swiftly. He tsked, shaking his head.

“Not so fast, Ink.” He said. He tossed the keys over to Error, and he caught them without looking. Confused, he glanced from his friend and back towards the jangling metal in his hands.

“Blue?” He asked.

“You and Cross are our two newest members.” He explained. “You should be the ones to unlock them!”

“... Are you sure?” He asked, uncomfortable. When Blue nodded, he looked over at Cross, who was the furthest away from Ink but still somehow standing next to Dream. Cross shrugged, and with a sigh Error decided that he might as well.

He walked forward and past everyone, towards the doors of the building. He glanced behind him, looking at all of Blue’s friends uncertainly before he pushed the keys into the doorknob, turning it.

_ Click. _

_ ‘Whelp.’ _ He thought, opening the door for everyone.  _ ‘There’s no going back now.’ _


	2. Bad Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cross and Ink don't really get along- they haven't for a while. Now we know why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pREPARE FOR ANGST!
> 
> And mention of character death.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

_ “What did you say?” _

Cross ignored the chill that went down his spine, his hand fisting in his own anger and anxiety. He could feel his father’s eyes on his back, but he had said something and he wasn’t going to back down now.

It had already been a rough day on Cross, who was mentally preparing for the upcoming year with Ink: the loveable and popular but highly annoying school jerk. Ink believed that he was friends with everyone, and for the most part, that was true. Cross didn’t, mostly because he always fell victim to Ink’s pranks whether the artist intended for him to be the victim or not, and this year wasn’t going to be any different. 

He  _ really _ didn’t like that guy. 

Being a Senior in High School  _ sucked _ , and he hadn’t even started the school year yet.

“I said _ , _ ” Cross replied, his voice low and burning with his inner frustrations. “ _ ‘What if I don’t WANT to be an actor?’ _ , father.”

It was so silent that you could hear a pin drop, but it was also so tense that it wouldn’t be able to actually land on the floor. If mom or Frisk were here, they’d probably ask for more context, too.

Both of his parents worked for XEvent Studios- a Film Making company that focused more on real-life action and superheroes than anything else. His mother, Jakie, was one of the main writers and a special effects supervisor. His father, on the other hand, was an actor- and a really good one, at that.

His father had always wanted the best for him, but more so than that, he wanted Cross to follow in his footsteps. He wanted Cross to be just as big of an actor as he was, and ever since The Incident three years ago, his father’s insistence and overprotectiveness had only gotten worse. Cross was kind of sick of it, but he understood. It had shaken them all up quite a bit.

He had mostly signed up for all of the drama and film-making classes to appease his parents after The Incident, unsure of what he wanted to do in life at the time and trying to distract himself from how his soul felt. But now, as a Senior in High School who needed to start actually thinking about his future, he realized that he didn’t  _ want _ to follow Gaster’s footsteps. He didn’t want the path his father had laid out for him.

“Then show me.”

Cross turned to look over his shoulder at his father. Gaster was obviously hurt and pissed, but he was cool. He was fair- he would give Cross a chance.

“How?” Cross asked.

“Let’s make a deal.” His father proposed. “You can go and change what classes you currently have, I will not comment. I won’t even protest whatever area you choose to study so long as you go to college after high school, and don’t get into any trouble for the whole year. If you do, then I will continue pestering you about it.” A frown twitched on Cross’ face, but he didn't comment.

Trouble meant anything from unsatisfactory grades to causing a riot. He’d need to have perfect grades, attendance- everything. He would have to refrain from doing anything that might possibly get his parents involved, but if it meant earning his father’s true belief in him…

“You have a deal.”

* * *

The deal was much harder to keep than Cross had thought.

Well, the Grades were easy enough and he did his best to remain on everyone’s good side, but for whatever reason, Ink decided that his final year at school translated to It need to do as many pranks as possible’.

Cross did his best to ignore the stares and whispers coming from behind his back, his binder in his arms and backpack slung over his shoulder as he walked over to the stairway. There, he and Epic would always share lunch together, and it was the only part of his school day that Cross actually enjoyed.

“Dude!” Epic greeted as he sat down on the step next to his best, and kinda only, friend. “Man, ya look like how I feel, bruh!”

“Finals are a  _ pain. _ ” Cross groaned, stretching before he reached into his backpack for his home lunch. “I’m having my last two tomorrow and then we’re still stuck here for another week. I’m glad I’ve been able to make it this far, though.”

“Ya mean with your deal with your Pops, right?”

“Yeah.” Cross nodded, pulling out a sandwich. “He hasn’t said or asked about anything regarding school so far except to see my grades and ask how my teachers are treating me. I’m kind of surprised- he’s always been one of those really overprotective parents, especially after Frisk graduated and moved out after… you know.” Cross waved his hands, and Epic nodded in understanding. “I feel like I’ve just been walking around in some kind of weird dream.”

“If we’re in a dream, does that mean that we get to fight all kinds of bad guys?” Epic asked. Cross laughed.

“With our superb dabs and everything.”

“Oh! Don’t forget the rubber chickens!”

“How could I?” He snorted as Epic laughed. “You can’t fight the forces of evil without them!”

Their laughter slowly died down, a warm kind of silence following it and allowing Cross to relax while they ate.

“What’re you gonna do?” Epic finally asked after swallowing, his voice soft. “Tomorrow?”

“What do you mean?” Cross asked through a mouthful.

“It’s their birthday, right?” Epic watched him carefully, but Cross was quick to avoid eye contact. “Normally you’d skip school to go visit him alone, but you can’t because of the deal.”

“I know.” Cross reached into his jacket pocket, fiddling with the locket that he always had on him. “I was thinking that maybe I’d convince mom and dad to let me have a walk. I can visit him then.”

“Are you sure that you’re going to be able to handle it?” Epic placed a hand on Cross’ shoulder, but Cross brushed it off with ease.

“I turned 18 this year, Epic.” He said, filled with determination. “I’m a young adult now. I can manage.”

“If ya need me, I’m a call away.”

“I know, but I’ll be fine. I promise.”

* * *

The next day, Cross looked like he was dead.

Which was saying a lot, because as a skeleton monster he  _ always _ looked dead.

Throughout the whole day, his movements were sluggish, dragging his feet from class to class. The only thing that he seemed capable of doing at a normal speed were his finals in Creative Writing and Japanese. He didn't even bother to smile either, and Epic knew better than to ask.

It was just before his last class period of the day. He had just finished putting away the last of his books and whatever items he wouldn’t need for study hall, looking down at his locket sadly when someone walked right into him.

“Oh!” A familiar voice exclaimed, awkward laughter following the words. “Sorry, Cross! I was drawing.”

Cross merely hummed, not bothering to pay Ink any attention. He hoped that Ink would continue on with where he was going, but  _ apparently _ his lack of response was enough to encourage Ink to continue.

“Hey, are you okay?” He asked, leaning into Cross’ personal space. “You’ve been really mopey all day.”

“I’m fine.” Cross answered, his voice flat and emotionless. He tore his eyes away from the slightly worn piece of jewelry, stuffing it in his pocket and closing his locker firmly. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with Ink today.

Ink, clearly, thought otherwise.

“What was that?”

“Was what?”

“The thing that you put in your pocket.” Ink leaned over, as if he could see through Cross’ pocket to figure out what it was. “It didn't look like a phone.”

“It wasn’t.”

“Then what was it?”

“None of your business.” Cross walked off, leaving Ink pouting after him.

“Oh, come on- can’t you show me?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t want to.”

Ink gasped, suddenly running in front of Cross and stopping him. “Do you have a special someone?”

“No, now please, leave me alone Ink.” Cross stepped to the side, but when the childish teenager before him followed, he growled. “I don’t have time to play your games.”

“Then show me what it is!”

“Give me one good reason why.”

“Because I’m curious!” Ink huffed, stepping in front of Cross again when he tried to walk past him. “And I can tell that it’s part of why you’re upset and I want to help!”

“Oh, you want to  _ help.” _ Cross laughed. “You can do that by minding your own business.” Cross moved to the left and then right quickly, ducking under Ink’s raised arms and walking forward. Finally, now he could go to-

“Hey!” Cross grunted when Ink grabbed the sleeve of his jacket, pulling him back to Ink. “What the heck!”

“Let me see!”

“No!”

“Let me see it, Cross!”

“I said  _ no!” _

They wrestled with their arms for a bit in the slightly busy hallway, no one really bothering to stop and pay attention (mostly because Ink was involved). During all of that movement, the locket fell out and into the school hallway with a small _tink_ just as Ink stepped forward. Cross noticed of course, and he was unable to do anything but watch as Ink’s tennis shoe fell down.

_ Crack. _

The sound was so small- so minuscule that no one else could hear it.

But to him? It was a thunderous roar that rivaled that of a hurricane slowly building up inside him.

_ No. _

He shoved Ink away, his attention solely faced on the golden jewelry by his feet. His hands shook as he knelt down before it, the sounds around him fading into nothing as he carefully picked it up. The part that opened up was cracked on one side, revealing the picture that he had inside of it.

The picture showed two humans- one with dark hair, one with light. They looked to be in high school in the picture, with their elbows on top of a young Cross’ skull. Cross had an annoyed smile on his face as he posed with his older siblings. He touched it gingerly, purple tears building up in his eye sockets and his hands shaking even harder.

_ It was broken. _

“Oh, no.” He could barely hear Ink’s voice through the noise in his own head, but it sounded as clear as Flathead Lake. “Oh, Cross, I’m sorry, I- I didn't know- I didn't mean to-.”

_ The only thing that he had left of  _ ** _Him_ ** _ , broken. _

Slowly, Cross’ hands closed into fists, a tear landing on his hand that held the locket.

_ Ink had broken it. _

Cross didn't care for what Ink was saying anymore, his breathing labored with the sobs that he refused to let out. His head continued to stare at the ground, his eyelights so small you could hardly see them. He grit his teeth, anger numbing his mind.

_ Ink. _

_ Had. _

_ Broken. _

** _His._ **

_ Locket. _

Before he even knew what he was doing, his fist flew. It landed right where he wanted it- on that stupid little black splotch on the idiotic jerk’s face. It landed so hard that Ink stumbled back, falling onto his tailbone.

Cross could hear the murmuring now- no matter what kind of fights Cross and Ink had gotten into in the past, they had never actually turned physical.

It…

It felt  _ good _ . 

His father would be disappointed- their deal was definitely off now, the school had cameras everywhere and they would  _ definitely _ contact him about this. Maybe Epic would, too- Cross had promised that he would be okay today.

But  _ he _ would have been proud of Cross.  _ He _ had always told Cross to stand up for himself- was the most supportive of Cross’ desires. Cross had always looked up to  _ him _ , and with today being today…

Well, he wasn’t going to stand for it.

“Don’t you  _ dare _ act like an apology can fix this.” He hissed, and Ink continued to stare up at him in shock. “Don’t you  _ dare _ think that  _ anything _ that you’ve done to me is  _ okay. _ I don’t want to see your stupid face ever again, and you sure as heck better  _ leave me alone!” _

Then, without a single word, Cross turned around and stomped through the hallways. He didn't go to class though- no, his deal was already broken and attending study hall wouldn’t amend that. There was only one place he really wanted to be, so he walked all the way to the bike rack, grabbed his bike, put on his helmet, and rode off of school grounds.

When he arrived fifteen minutes later, he propped his bike up against the tree and took off his backpack and helmet, sitting down next to his other older brother- Frisk’s twin. He leaned against the cold stone, wishing for it to numb his emotions and allow him to drown in his grief.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, his tears falling down his cheeks and onto the grass below him. “I’m sorry, Chara. I can’t do anything right.” He closed his eyes, curling up on himself a little as his voice broke. “I wish- I wish you were still here. I miss you.”

Epic found him there an hour or so later and managed to convince Cross to come with him to his house, but nothing could fix this.

Nothing could fix Chara’s death- could turn back time and make the driver of the other vehicle sober. Could prevent Chara from getting into the accident.

Just like nothing could fix his broken locket.

And that just made everything worse.

* * *

“Cross?”

“Hm?” Cross blinked, focusing his attention back on his best friend. Epic sighed, finishing up washing one of the dishes as Cross stopped drying the plate in his hands. 

They had been living together in the same apartment ever since they had been accepted into the same college. It had been for support at first- Cross had an argument with his father that resulted in Gaster not even wanting to hear about his youngest son, much less see him. Cross didn't exactly want to talk to him either- they had been at odds ever since his father had been called by the school.

“You kinda spaced out for a sec, dude.” Epic chuckled, placing the plate in the drying rack. He turned off the water, finished with washing, and looked Cross in the eye. “You still haven’t answered my question, bro.”

Oh.

Right.

_ The Question. _

The reason why he had even been thinking about his Senior Year in the first place.

“I know you and Ink haven’t had the best past-” Cross’ gaze darkened at the mere mention of the skeleton, and Epic continued. “But even I know that Nightmare’s not exactly treating you right as a fellow employee. He hasn’t been for the past two months and it’s only getting worse. You’d be offered the same job and pay, and Dream would be more than happy to work with ya. Just… promise me you’ll consider it, yeah?”

“...” Cross took in a deep breath, one of his hands absently reaching up to the broken locket that he wore under his shirt. He let it out slowly, focusing back on drying the dishes. “Okay. I will.”

“That’s all I’m asking for, bruh.” Epic smiled, grabbing a towel to dry with too. “Come on, let’s finish up so that we can have our Epic Movie Night!”

“Yeah, lets.” Cross smiled a little, and together, the two of them finished the chore with ease. Epic prepared some popcorn while Cross shuffled through their DVDs, thinking.

He hoped that Chara would be proud of him.


	3. "I'm sorry."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ink thinks about what happened between him and Cross. Blue offers some advice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This can be considered a continuation of 'Bad Blood', but from   
Ink's POV.
> 
> I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Ink was in the middle of a dilemma.

He wasn’t aware of it at the time, but from Jr. High to High School, he was kind of a jerk.

…

…

… 

Yeah, he was definitely a  _ big _ jerk.

At the time, he hadn’t known that what he was doing was wrong. He just wanted to be friends with everyone and know what was going on in everyone’s lives. Some people asked him to stay away from them, and that kinda hurt, but that was okay too. Sometimes people just didn't click- he just had a hard time realizing which people those were.

Enter Cross.

Ink thought that they would have been good friends if he ever actually spent one on one time with Cross. Ink was positive that, if he had spent the time needed to become friends with Cross, they would have been the best of friends back then. But there were multiple things that came in between them during those oh-so-needed years. Like school, art, plays, games, other friends, etc.

Oh, and Ink’s pranks now that he was thinking about it.

But that was because School was so  _ boring! _ It was so hard for him to just sit still and listen, and pranks were how he got that pent-up energy out. So was being the class clown, because hey, if you’re going to goof around why not make  _ everyone _ goof around?

Cross had just been so easy to prank, as well as many other people. Ink’s pranks were legendary, and as far as he was concerned, everyone had loved them.

Of course, not everyone loved them, but a lot of those people complained verbally about it.

Cross had never said a word, but they had been sent multiple times to the Principal's Office because a lot of the Pranks that Cross ran into were made for random people and not just him, making him the most pranked person in the school. At one point, the Principal even thought that he was bullying Cross, but that wasn’t even close to the truth! In fact, Ink only recalled three very separate times he had _ actually meant _ to prank Cross, but the number of times Cross had run into his other pranks were very high.

Usually, when they were sent to the Principal’s office, Ink was told to stop being childish (which would never happen, because being a child runs in his veins), and told Cross to be more careful. Why the Principal would scold Cross, Ink could only guess, but Ink was positive that most of the damage was actually done when he had stepped on Cross’ locket.

_ Everyone _ knew about Chara’s death. He was actually famous at their High School for getting into fights for those who can't- for standing up for the weak and speaking for those who couldn’t speak for themselves. Frisk was the less-violent one, but he was on Student Council and had the student’s best interests at heart. In fact, the twins had quite the fanbase amongst female students. It was only just under a year after they had graduated when The Accident happened, and the school had decided that they would have a day just to honor the two of them because they were the definition for what this school strived to be.

When Cross was gone for the day of his older brother’s death, Ink knew better than to pry. He didn't know what it was like to lose a family member, but he  _ did _ know that sometimes, the best way to help someone is to leave them alone.

Which he, unfortunately, forgot during their senior year.

He had wanted to leave the school with a  _ bang- _ a final hurrah!

Not with a fight.

Cross wasn’t supposed to be apart of it either.

Well, he was- but to  _ celebrate _ . Because there would be a party- and no pranks! Everyone was supposed to enjoy it and be happy!

Not to…

Well…

_ (“Don’t you  _ ** _dare _ ** _ act like an apology can fix this.") _

Ink hadn’t realized how big of a jerk he had been until Cross punched him.

_ ("Don’t you  _ ** _dare _ ** _ think that  _ ** _anything _ ** _ that you’ve done to me is _ ** _ okay.")_ **

He hadn’t realized how bad it was until he had said something.

_ ("I don’t want to see your stupid face ever again, and you sure as heck better  _ ** _leave me alone!”)_ **

Maybe, if Cross had said something sooner, or if someone had explained it to him, none of this would have happened.

Maybe, if he hadn’t been such an  _ idiot _ , they could have been friends.

But, of course, he had to mess  _ everything _ up.

It had changed him, obviously. He tried to be aware of what other people felt about things by looking at their body language and the tone of their voice. It was hard, but he managed. It wasn’t a problem anymore.

Now, however, he was going to be working with Cross again. 

Which means that now, all these years later, he could make it up to Cross.

He could show Cross how sorry he was-  _ about everything! _

But that was why he was here now. 

Cross didn't want  _ anything  _ to do with Ink.

Cross hated him.

_ Hated _ him!

“I’m such an idiot.” He groaned, dragging his hand down his face. 

“Oh, don’t say that!”

“But I am!” He bemoaned, waving his hand around. “Of course, nothing that I do will get him to forgive me. I don’t care if he does forgive me or not anymore, I just don’t want us to have all this tension when we’re in the same room! How do you tell someone that you’re sorry-  _ really, truly sorry _ \- if they won’t listen to you?! If they don’t accept any of your apologies!” He sat up and looked over the back of the couch and at Blue, who was typing away on his computer. 

“Mweh, you have a point.” Blue huffed. “But that doesn’t mean that you should give up! You can’t make people like you or make them have a different opinion about you, but you can try to prove that you’re better than what they think.” He paused, turning to look over at Ink. “Actually… have you tried to apologize to him upfront? I know that you’ve come up with all kinds of different things to show him that you’re sorry, but have you tried telling him?”

“He refuses to be alone in the same room as me.” Ink groaned, flopping back onto the couch. “He doesn’t even look at me, and if he does it means that he’s literally glaring daggers at me! If looks could kill, I’d be dead already!”

“Well, maybe you could write him a letter?” Blue suggested.

“He’ll probably think I’m stalking him.” Which was kinda true. Ink got into the habit of subtly-stalking all of the people he hung out with on a regular basis during High School. He should probably break it, but it  _ did _ have it’s uses. “He won’t actually take anything I say seriously, either. Maybe I should stop.” He sighed. “I got into this mess because I couldn’t respect his privacy. It’s hopeless.”

“That doesn’t sound like the Ink I know.” Footsteps, and then Blue was leaning over the back of the couch to look down at him.

“The Ink that you know is on break. You can leave a message.”

“Ink.” Blue rolled his eyes and sat down by Ink’s feet, his arms folded.

“It’s true though.” Ink sighed before he sat up, crossing his legs and leaning into the side of the couch while facing where Blue sat. “I should stop. Nothing good is going to come out of me trying to apologize. I should just leave things as they are and try not to make it worse.”

“Maybe you should.” He sighed, but he placed a hand on Ink’s knee and gave it a soft squeeze. “But you shouldn’t give up until you know for sure that he’s actually listened to your apology. Do small things to make his day easier and give him space when he needs it. And, most importantly-” Blur leaned in. “Use.” He poked his chest. “Your.” He poked it again. “Words.”

“Okay.” Ink smiled, rolling his eyes a little.. “Thanks for the support, Blue.”

“Don’t mention it.” Blue laughed. “Now are we going to do some research or not?”

“Do we have to~?”

“Yes. We do.”

“Ugh. Fiiiine.”

* * *

It wasn’t the first time that they had ended up alone like this, but it was the first time he built up the courage to say something. It was a few years after Cross had joined the studio too, so now would be a good time, right?

“Hey, Cross?”

“What is it?” Cross asked, glaring at Ink out of the corner of his eye. Ink took a deep breath, recalling what he had decided he would say.

“I wanted to thank you.”

“Thank me?” Cross turned to look at him a little. “For what?”

“For showing me that I was being a big jerk.” Ink reached his hand up to scratch awkwardly at his neck. “In High School. I want you to know that I’m sorry, and I don’t care if you forgive me or not. You can hate me for the rest of my life, I just want you to know that I am really, truly sorry.”

It was finally out, and even if it hurt when Cross scoffed and looked away from Ink, he was glad. They might not ever be friends, but at least Cross knew that Ink was sorry.

That was the only thing he really wanted.


	4. The Lily That Saved Her

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beep...
> 
> Beep...
> 
> Beep...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is no good onomatopoeia for glass breaking.
> 
> So I came up with one.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

_ Beep… _

_ Beep… _

_ Beep… _

Reaper didn't move.

He didn't want to.

_ Beep… _

_ Beep… _

_ Beep…  _

He closed his lightless eye sockets and took a deep breath, already used to the smell of chemicals and sanitizers from his own line of work.

He did his hardest to focus on the ticking of the clock. The noise of the city streets below him. The tap-tap-tap of people walking in the hallway just outside the door.

But nothing could silence the steady beeping of the machine across from him.

_ Beep… _

_ Beep… _

_ Beep… _

Slowly, he opened his eyelights and looked at the monster lying on the hospital bed in front of him- her breath slowly rising and falling with each breath that was fed into her. Her white fur that was usually fluffy seemed devoid of life- which was ironic because that was her name.

Life.

They didn't really like each other at first- her magical ability being the complete opposite of his own. The had argued many times, but at one point the fighting had turned into playful banter, and that had turned into flirting. Reaper didn't know how, or when- but he  _ did _ know that she was, perhaps, the most important person in his life.

He should have done something sooner.

He should have been paying attention.

After all, the streets of their city were still dangerous. Those who had no homes had to gain LV to survive. Just like the little child who had  _ used _ Life’s kind nature to try and get some easy EXP- purposefully placing themselves in the road after running into her. And Reaper knew that it was on purpose too because he could see the gleam in their eyes and the delight in their smile as the car hit Life just as she pushed them out of the way.

Reaper didn't remember much about what happened after he saw Life bleeding in the street, his anger taking control of his own ability to think, but he did know what the results were.

The child was no longer a problem, and Life…

She was in a Coma.

It had taken a while after the accident before he had finally found her. Ink, a friend of Life’s, had accidentally run into him one day and had offered his condolences. Ink even found out where Reaper lived (how, he didn't want to know) in order to deliver a gift that Life had been working on at Ink’s house that Life had wanted to give to him. 

A glass flower- a lily, sculpted expertly from her fire magic.

Something beautiful that he could touch with his bare hands, and not kill.

After that, it was only a matter of asking Ink where Life was and meeting up with her doctor to let him in. The doctor’s name was Geno, and Reaper was happy to tease the life out of the guy. He was fun to be around, and it was especially pleasing to see how much he could rile the doctor’s anger up before he could explode.

That wasn’t why he was here, though.

Life… was dying. Her soul was slowly fading away. Geno didn't know what was wrong- all of the machines were hooked up and she wasn’t allergic to anything. Not to mention that Geno had a nifty ability to  _ cancel _ another person’s magic, so Reaper couldn’t be the problem.

He gently rubbed his thumb over the glass stem of the lily in his hands, aware of what he had to do.

They weren’t positive, but Life’s magic was as her name said it was-  _ Life. _ She often used her powers to heal others and resurrect plants from the dead, so the magic that she had infused into the flower should work.

…

… 

_ Right? _

He sighed, his gloved hand holding Life’s gently. Geno wasn’t in here at the moment, he had to leave so that Reaper could see if it would work, so gloves were the only way he could touch her. He took in a large breath, holding the flower up over her. He let go of her hand to hold the other end of the lily.

He’d do  _ anything _ for her.

“Sorry.” He said in advance, a kind of morbid smile on his face. “You know how much I hate ruining things you make, especially since you put a lot of effort into this, but… you’re more important.”

_ Ctlink. _


	5. His Patient

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sci gets a new Patient.
> 
> He didn’t think it would end up like this.

Sci was working his dream job.

Well, not really- but he was close enough for now. He hadn’t exactly wanted to go right back into it after The Incident, and his job currently gave him the break that he needed. He kinda wished he could leave though.

He checked over the list of patients he had to help today, drinking his coffee from his mug that said ‘All of the Good Science Puns Argon’. He had a whole collection of science-pun themed mugs back at home, but this one had been a gift from his coworker, Geno.

Huh. He had a new patient today. 

“Edge Cliff.” He contemplated out loud. One of the humans walking by froze, turning to look at him.

“Did you just say Edge Cliff?” They asked, in that tone where you just _knew _that they had had a bad experience with whatever the subject was.

“Yes.” Sci slowly nodded, looking up to see exactly which of his coworkers had stopped. It was Dr. Haybin. “Why do you ask?”

“I had him a few weeks ago.” They replied, messing with the clipboard they had in their hands. “He’s… different.”

“Different how?”

“Different as in you _ know _ that something is wrong in his life.” Dr. Haybin anxiously clicked their pen. “Something worse than what his medical records show. He wasn’t exactly polite or cooperative either, I almost had to call security.” They glanced around before looking back at Sci with a smile. “I know you can handle yourself but… be careful, okay?”

“I will.” Sci nodded. “Thank you for your concern, and for telling me.”

“Anything for a friend!”

After that it went about like normal, checking in with everyone. It was just after two in the afternoon when Sci finally met this ‘Edge Cliff’.

“Hello.” Sci greeted with a smile as he walked into the room where the patient was. Sci didn't even blink at the sight of his sharp teeth (one of them was gold), the crack in his skull, or his singular red eye light. “I’m Dr. Sci West, but just call me Sci. You are Edge Cliff, correct?”

“... Yes.” Edge answered. His voice had an accent to it, but it was also very rough. It definitely sounded _much _more muted than it should have been, and the patient winced when he spoke.

“It says here that you’re having problems speaking, yes? You can nod if you need to.” Edge nodded, and Sci nodded back as he sat down in the chair. It was more like a mobile stool if he was being honest, but whatever. “Alright, is there anywhere that hurts or feels uncomfortable? You can point if you want to.”

Predictably, Edge pointed to just inside his skull. If it had been somewhere along his neck, Sci would have been able to see it. The chances of that happening were very little- maybe he had a case of Strep Throat? Rare amongst monsters, but if it was under the right circumstances then it was possible. Sci wheeled his stool over to where his popsicle sticks and light were, pulling out some gloves.

“Alright, if you could please sit comfortably over there, I’ll take a look and see what the problem is.” He could hear Edge moving behind him, and as he did he thought about what Dr. Haybin had said earlier.

_ ‘Maybe it was just an accident that they had to call security over?’ _ Sci pondered as he spun around the stool and stood up, walking over to the other skeleton. _ ‘I can see what they mean though. I’ll proceed with caution.’ _

“Alright, I’m going to need you to open up wide for me and say ‘Ah’. I might stick my hand in if there’s something wrong, but I’ll tell you if that happens. If I make you feel uncomfortable at all, you can say so or do something to get my attention. I don’t bite.”

“Yeah, I’m the one who bites here.” Sci blinked for a moment, recognized it as a joke of sorts, and smiled.

“I can see that.” He said through a chuckle. “Nice gold tooth by the way. You don’t see very many skeletons with them.”

“Thanks.” Edge smiled a little wider, and Sci held up his hand.

“Ready?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright then, say Ah.”

“Ah.” Sci gently placed the popsicle stick on the tongue to hold it down while he shined the light into the mouth. He hummed thoughtfully, moving the light around to where skeletons normally had problems with their vocal cords.

“I’m… not really seeing anything wrong… wait…” Sci squinted his eye sockets and leaned in a little. He angled the light down a notch, and… “What the heck?!”

“Huh?”

“How on Earth did your magic get stuck at your Cervical Vertebrae?” Well, Sci kind of already had a theory for that, but he wasn’t going to say it. Edge shrugged, and Sci used his hand holding the flashlight to push his glasses up a little more. “Stay there-” He withdrew the popsicle. “You can close your mouth now. I’m going to write this down…”

“...” At this, Edge seemed almost… confused. “Aint’cha gonna ask me wha’ happened?”

“Well, I _ could_,” He drawled as he grabbed the computer for the room, typing the information in. “But unless a patient _wants _to tell me or the police _need _me to ask, I’d rather not pry. Unless…” He glanced over and raised a brow bone. “Do you _ want _ me to know?”

“... No.” Edge grumbled looking away. He folded his arms, but somehow that’s what got him to relax.

“Alright then.” Sci nodded and finished up the report in a minute or two before walking back to Edge. “I’m going to have to use my magic to soothe it out, and in order to do that I need to hold your mouth open for you.” Edge raised an incredulous brow bone, so Sci continued. “I need you to relax while I do this, but I also need your mouth open. I’ll keep it open, and all you have to focus on is letting the tension leave your magic.”

He seemed hesitant, but Edge obliged regardless. He opened his mouth and, using his thumb, Sci gently kept it open at just the right angle. He let his magic slowly come to life- a dark forest green glow surrounding his hand. He used it to gently rub the magic until it released, and when it did he did it for a few more seconds before stopping his magic.

“How’s that?” He asked, looking up into Edge’s red eye light. The other seemed a little perplexed before it switched to amusement. He cleared his throat, closing his right eye briefly as he spoke.

“Now, that’s _way _better,” Edge said, his voice a lot deeper and a bit smoother than it had been before. “Thanks for the help, Nerd, but ya hand is kinda still in my mouth, ya know?”

Huh?

Oh.

Internally screaming, Sci slowly pulled his hand away with a small chuckle.

“Sorry about that,” He apologized, straightening up his lab coat. “I got lost in thought for a moment.”

“Sure ya did.” Edge chuckled, shaking his head in mild amusement. “Are there any medications I’ll need ta take?”

“No, none.” Sci shook his head. “Although if it _does _happen again, please come back as soon as possible. The more it happens the more likely it’ll get bigger, and if it gets too big it could be very dangerous to remove and we’d have to move you to the ER.” He sighed. “Just… take care of yourself.”

“Sure.” Edge hopped off the table and walked out of the room with a small wave. Sci couldn’t help but stare after him, admittedly a little… intrigued.

But he couldn’t stay for long- there were other patients who needed him, and he was here to serve.

* * *

  
He wasn’t sure what had happened.

For whatever reason, whenever Edge needed _any _kind of medical assistance, he’d ask for Sci. And by whatever god or goddess of luck was there watching over them, Sci _always _ had at least one slot free for whichever day Edge decided to come in. It wasn’t coordinated either, and Sci was (pretty) sure that Edge didn't stalk him.

Not that Sci would have minded, per se, but simply because there was no way Edge could actually pull off stealth.

When he talked to Geno about it (Sci still felt bad about what the Determination Experiments had done to him. He should have tried harder to stop him, but even he knew that was a lost cause before The Accident. At least he could still see through one eye), and after three whole hours of discussing, they both agreed that Edge must either be trying to annoy the heck out of him for attention or Sci is the only doctor that Edge has actually felt safe around. Sci suspected that it was a mixture of both, but that’s okay. Sci could be just as annoying when he wanted to be.

They often had mini-contests in the room Edge was placed in whenever Sci arrived, to see who could rile the other up fastest. Edge had won the first few rounds because Sci hadn’t wanted to accidentally offend him or anything, but after Edge had insulted the science of science puns, all caution was thrown to the wind. 

Sci had been winning them ever since.

It wasn’t always about competition though. Sometimes, Edge would feel like opening up and talking about the things that he was interested in. Other times, Sci would talk about himself because he could tell that Edge didn't like the silence, but he didn't want to talk either.

Speaking of talking, Sci had apparently gotten close enough to him to learn one of his Best Guarded Secrets.

The secret was that Edge wanted to be a voice actor. Specifically for cartoons. Of course, Sci had sworn to not tell anyone about it. 

In turn, Sci had talked to him about his obsession with souls. He had actually gotten a degree specifically so that he could do research on them, but he needed more experience in the medical field before he could. He had applied to be a doctor at the hospital with Geno in order to get that, but…

He was stuck here, now. He constantly worked overtime, but recently he found that he didn't quite care all that much about it since Edge had become his friend.

Actually, Sci wasn’t _sure _what exactly they were at the moment. Recently their competitions would end with heavy flirting, and he had spent many a sleepless night in the past year being embarrassed over what had been said. Sci was quite certain that he simply had a small crush, which wasn’t all that big of a deal. He’s dealt with worse, although he never actually pictured himself liking someone like that again.

He fought down a blush and cleared his throat as he finished packing up for the night, waving goodbye to one of his coworkers as he walked out the front doors of the hospital. He yawned while he approached his car, but before he could open the door a hand grabbed him.

“What the-”

“Nerd, relax.” Edge’s voice was stern, but also anxious. Something wasn’t right. “It’s jus’ me.”

“Edge, what’s-”

“I need your help.” Edge continued, his grip on Sci’s shoulder growing tighter. “Can you help me?” 

“Of course I can,” Sci turned around, his eye lights landing on the person behind him…

And he froze.

“I-I know.” The other breathed out a laugh, cradling his right arm and placing most of his weight on the left side of his body. He winced when he laughed, his ribs halting their movement as he hissed. “Please don’t say anythin’, I already feel weak enough as is.”

“Weak?” Sci narrowed his eye lights, instantly moving to support Edge. “I wouldn’t use that to describe you. Come on, I should get you into the Hospital to-”

“No.”

“But Edge-”

“I can’t go to a gosh-darn hospital!” He growled loudly. He winced again when his voice echoed, his red eye light glancing around frantically. “I-I can’ let boss find me, an’ the hospital is the first place he’d look. Is there any way you can help me?”

Sci stared into Edge’s eye light for several moments, searching for anything that he could use. Edge hadn’t talked about his brother, ‘boss’ (Sci was positive he had another name but didn't dare ask), all that much- but when he did it was never actually anything good. Maybe one or two bittersweet memories from when Edge was raising him, but nothing more.

Finally, he sighed.

“Let me get you into the passenger seat.” He said, making sure that his tone was soft as he whispered. “I have five different emergency kits at home, and I can call in sick tomorrow.”

“Ya don’t have ta do that.” Edge grunted as he walked with Sci to the other side of the car. “I can take care o’ myself.”

“Somehow-” Sci opened the door and helped him into the seat, doing the seat buckle for him as he made himself comfortable. “I doubt that. Besides, your my patient and my friend. Who won’t let me get them the help that they need, by the way. Of course I'm going to call in sick to take care of you.”

Edge was strangely speechless after that, so Sci quickly closed his door and moved back over to the driver's side. 

“Do I need to take any precautions while driving home?” He asked.

“Nah, I lost ‘em. They’re probably ‘bout fifteen minutes away on the north side.” He snorted. 

“Good thing I live East of here.” Sci nodded, not daring to ask who ‘they’ were, and started up the car.

It was a thirty minute drive from the Hospital to Sci’s house, and just as they were pulling into the driveway, a smile appeared on Edge’s face.

A real smile- a natural one, with no jokes required and no effort put in to make it happen. 

“It’s past midnight.” He commented, as though he was guessing Sci’s train of thought. His voice was light and sounded just like his smile- natural. “I won the game. I’m free.”

Sci bit his figurative lip as he parked and turned off the car. Before he could step out, though, Edge grabbed his arm. Sci looked over at him, a question on the tip of his tongue, when he saw it.

Edge’s eye lights.

Most skeletons had two sets of eye lights- the regular white ones and the colorful ones that appeared when using magic. Edge had told him months ago that he always had his magic on hand, just in case, but now…

Now, his eye lights were white. Not a singular red one- two, beautiful white ones. They were so… _ relieved _and _happy _that it stole the breath out of Sci’s nonexistent lungs. He almost missed what Edge said, he was so caught up in his thoughts.

“Don’ worry, nerd. I’ll… tell ya when I’m ready.” It was a statement, but Edge’s voice raised just enough to make it sound like a statement. Sci knew why too- after all this time together, he was finally letting down his guard around Sci and talking about revealing a part of his life that he normally wouldn’t even dare talk about.

“When you’re ready,” Sci repeated without a second thought, reaching his hand up to give Edge’s hand a soft squeeze. Then he smiled. “Alright, come on- let’s get you inside, Edgy Mc My Chemical Romance. I need to check on all of those and I’d rather not have you in pain any longer.”

“Okay, okay.” Edge snorted, but any remaining tension that was in his shoulders vanished moments after as Sci stepped out of the car. 

As he closed the door behind him and walked around to help Edge out, he couldn’t help but think that this crush he had on Edge wasn’t even a crush at all.

It was something more than that, and Sci knew that from then on, things would only be changing for the better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> INFO: Basically, Edge and Fell (his brother) grew up in a gang that their father was the leader of. Because Edge was lazy, Fell was the one who inherited it when their father died (not to mention that he was stronger).
> 
> Edge didn’t want to be apart of it anymore, and refused to follow his brother’s orders. When he did, Fell told him that he had ten minutes to run, because if Fell found him before Midnight (or if he broke his vow to not speak of the gang), Fell would kill him.
> 
> They had actually caught up to Edge and crashed his getaway vehicle ten-twenty minutes before he snuck up behind Sci in the Hospital Parking Lot. If he ever meets his gang in real life, they’re supposed to pretend that they have never met before.
> 
> Also, friendly reminder that everyone is free to write for the SSS AU, and that Ly_the_creator uploads art for the AU on her Tumblr and Twitter!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	6. The Interns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Error and Template get off on the wrong foot. (ALSO HAPPY BDAY LY I LOVE YOU THIS IS GIFT #1!!!!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So like... before I can actually start writing any interactions between the SSSAU I have to introduce all of the characters to you guys. Which is why this took so long- I've been trying to figure out the best way to write their backstories and put them in here on top of figuring out how to write in the characters Ly keeps adding in X'D
> 
> ANYWAY! This is... actually really late, but here we go! :D
> 
> Template and Pale both belong to Unu-nunium

It was stupid.

Everything was stupid.

And in all honesty, this might have been one of the stupidest things this studio had ever done.

“You’re getting  _ interns?” _ Error asked, already extremely annoyed with the information.

“We  _ have _ interns.” Core corrected as they marked some things off on their checklist, not quite looking at him. “One of them is technically a 2D Animator-” At this, Error scoffed, earning a small sigh. “-but they’re willing to try out 3D Animation and have been taking online courses so that they could get the position, so they’re going to be working with you a lot.”

Clearly, there wasn’t anything he could do to change this, so he might as well gather some information. “Who are they, when will they get here, and how soon will they leave?”

“Well, actually, they’re arriving today.” Core gestured towards the doors. “In fact, they should be arriving right-”

“HELLO FELLOW STUDIO WORKERS!” A very loud, and surprisingly glitching, voice boomed across the meeting room that Core had  _ insisted _ they all meet in. It took Error a moment to realize what he was looking at, and when he did, he couldn’t help but do a double-take.

There were two interns, although it was the loud one who had (clearly) caught his attention. He had black bones like Error’s own, as well as an almost identical color scheme. However, one of his eyes was a diamond, he actually  _ wore _ glasses, and instead of tear-tracks he had plus signs by his eye sockets. He seemed especially excited to be here, unlike his fellow intern- who looked like a blank and emotionless version of Ink.

“Good morning, Template, Pale.” Core greeted with a small smile, finally looking away from their checklist to look at everyone in the room. “Everyone, these are our new interns- Template,” They gestured to the black skeleton, and Error scoffed. Of course. “And Pale. Template will be working with Error with the animation, and Pale will be helping Epic out with his special effects.”

Oh no.

_ Oh no. _

He actually had to  _ socialize _ with the look-a-like?!

Not cool.

“And these-” Core gestured his hand out to the rest of them. “Are your new co-workers: Error, Dream, Cross, Ink, Epic, Edge, and Blue.”

“Hello!” Ink greeted happily, standing up from where he had been talking with Blue and walking forward to greet the two interns. “It’s nice to finally meet you guys! Core’s been talking about you both a lot.”

“W-Woah!” Template exclaimed, and his eye-lights were practically stars. Error scowled a little, already disliking this intern more and more. A fan of Ink’s, perhaps? “It’s-It’s really nice to meet you too, Ink! It’s an honor!”

“How about a welcome hug?” Ink asked, holding his arms out wide expectantly. Error didn't think much about it at first, Ink was  _ always _ like this after all- but then the starry-eyed look left Template’s sockets, his body tensing the second Ink had thrown his arms out wide. He only got more suspicious the longer it took for Template to take a deep breath and spread his, mildly shaking, arms out wide enough to hug Ink. Error’s eye sockets narrowed at the actions, a grim look on his face.

Maybe he wouldn’t really like this intern, but it would be better to inform Ink about what he’s doing than it would be for Ink to surprise Template later with a touch and set him off.

“Get away from that kid, squid.” He called out, stepping forwards and closer to where the other two were standing. He was instantly met with a glare from the intern, but in all honesty, he didn't care. 

“What?” Ink asked, his arms lowering as he turned to look at Error. “Why though?”

“Because, idiot-” Error threw a middle finger at Ink. “It’s  _ obvious _ that he’s got a fear of touch. Don’t pressure him into doing anything.” As Ink blinked at him in surprise, he turned to look down at Template. He forced the scowl on his face to morph into a smirk, and he gave Template a small wave. “Kinda nice to see that we have similar problems,  _ rookie. _ Welcome.”

The glare that he received in response to both his words and actions only served to prove that the dislike was mutual.


End file.
